After a gap of almost two years, the nine-day festival of Chaitra Navaratri, set to begin on Saturday, will witness celebrations on a grand scale.

With pandemic restrictions having been considerably eased, temples will remain open till late at night without any curbs, though devotees will be requested to wear masks.

The Navratri will be marked with traditional 'bhajans', 'hawan', 'aarti' and 'bhandara' (community feast).

Temples will, however, continue to live stream 'aarti' for devotees who cannot make it to the temples.

In Ayodhya, temples are being decorated and illuminated for Navratri and special pujas are being organised in several temples.

"We need to pray for the health of mankind and also thank the Lord for giving us the strength to bear the pandemic crisis," said Raj Keshwar, a regular visitor to the Hanuman Garhi temple.

"After a two-year gap, Navratri will be celebrated with full fervour and grandeur this time. Devotees can offer prayers at temples without any curbs and restrictions which is an auspicious omen," said Pandit Sandeep Mishra, priest of a Ram temple in Aminabad area in Lucknow.

The gates of the Chandrika Devi temple will also open at 7 a.m. for a sea of devotees.

"We are making arrangements and hope to see people in huge numbers once again in Navaratri. However, we will make announcements every hour to remind people to wear masks and maintain social distancing," said Akhilesh Singh, president, Ma Chandrika Devi Mela Vikas Samiti.

Similarly, Badi Kali Ji temple in Chowk is expecting a heavy rush of devotees offering prayers and attending the main 'aarti' and 'bhajan-kirtan'.

The Hanuman Setu temple management committee has announced that the temple will remain open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. But on Tuesday, it will remain open till 11 p.m.

The Ram Darbar on the premises will be open from 5.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Devotees will be requested to wear face masks. (AS/IANS)

Keywords: Navaratri, Puja, Festival, Celebration, pre-Covid, Devotee, Temple.